About the Academy of Life Planning
Redefining financial planning — building practices that empower people, not sell products.
Why We Exist
Financial services is one of the least trusted industries in the world. Since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, public surveys have shown a consistent truth: trust matters most to customers, but least to the industry.
That’s why, in 2012, Steve Conley founded the Academy of Life Planning (AoLP) — to create a profession rooted in trust, empowerment, and transparency.
At AoLP, planning means treating clients as people, not products. We draw a clear line between planning and selling, and we equip planners with the skills and tools to put life before money.
What We Do
AoLP is the home of Holistic Wealth Planners (HWP®) — professionals committed to raising standards of knowledge, independence, and integrity.
We train and support planners in using the GAME Plan™ framework, a life-first methodology that empowers clients before, during, and after their dealings with financial systems.
We also provide pathways for clients themselves:
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Planning My Life (PML): self-directed GAME Plan tools (DBU – Done By You)
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Financial Life Coach (FLC): guided coaching during life’s toughest moments (DWU – Done With You)
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Get SAFE: recovery and justice after financial harm
Together, these pathways — supported by planners, AI tools, and community — form a continuum from exploited → empowered.
Our Vision
We are building a global member co-operative of Holistic Wealth Planners who:
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Place empowerment before exploitation
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Operate independently of product sales
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Use modern tech (AI, Notion, GitHub) to scale their impact
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Stand by a Code of Chivalry: service before self, integrity without compromise, justice through advocacy
Our goals include:
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Recognition as a professional training body
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Accreditation for the GAME Plan Mastery programme
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A searchable global register of Holistic Wealth Planners
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Expansion of the M-POWER movement worldwide
The Difference We’re Making
The GAME Plan™ – Our Signature Framework
At the heart of the Academy of Life Planning is the GAME Plan™ — a practical, life-first methodology that empowers people to plan life before money.
The GAME Plan helps individuals and professionals alike to:
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Clarify goals that reflect their true values
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Turn those goals into actionable steps
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Align financial and human resources with purpose
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Support execution, review, and renewal over time
It’s more than a planning tool — it’s a pathway from exploited → empowered.
About Steve Conley, BSc FCII
Chartered Insurer & Chartered Financial Planner Steve Conley is the founder of the Academy of Life Planning, established in 2012 to help professional planners build ethical, purpose-driven practices rooted in empowerment, not extraction. With a career spanning more than 40 years, Steve has worked alongside thousands of financial planners and leaders across the industry. Before creating the Academy, he held senior roles at major banks including HSBC, RBS Group, and Santander. In 2012, he stepped away from corporate life to pioneer a new model of planning centred on people, not products. A Registered Life Planner, Chartered Financial Planner, Chartered Insurer (Pensions Route), and Mathematics graduate, Steve has been recognised with numerous awards, including: The British Insurance & Investment Brokers’ Association Prize The Jubilee Prize of the Insurance Institute of Manchester The Transparency Trophy (2017) for advancing transparency in global financial services Beyond the Academy, Steve serves as a Global Ambassador for the Transparency Task Force (TTF) and is the founding lead of its Market Integrity Team. His reputation is built on combining technical expertise in investments and pensions with an unwavering commitment to values, professionalism, and systemic reform. Through the Academy of Life Planning, Steve’s mission remains clear: 👉 To equip professional planners with the tools, training, and community to thrive in the Age of Empowerment — helping people everywhere design life before money.
“Chartered” is the gold standard in UK financial services. It represents:
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Advanced expertise (degree-level qualifications and beyond)
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Ethical commitment (bound by strict codes of conduct)
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Professional recognition (held by only a fraction of advisers)
For AoLP, Chartered status means trust, transparency, and professionalism — values we uphold across our community.
Join Us
The Academy of Life Planning is more than a training provider. It’s a movement to replace extraction with empowerment.
As a member, you’ll gain:
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GAME Plan Mastery training and tools
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Access to a global peer network
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Accreditation as a Holistic Wealth Planner (HWP®)
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A place in a profession that puts purpose before product
Awards & Recognitions
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Over the years, the Academy of Life Planning has been recognised across multiple industry award programmes, including: Finance UK Lawyer International – Legal 100 Awards (2022–2024) UK Corporate America Today Awards (2022–2025) Global 100 – Top 100 Firms & Individuals (2022–2025) M&A Today Global Awards (2024–2025) SME News Finance Awards – SME500 UK (2024–2025) Additional acknowledgements include: Most Pioneering Financial Planner Network — AI Worldwide Finance Awards (2022–2024) Financial Adviser Support Network of the Year — Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards (2022–2024) Best Financial Adviser Support Network — SME News Finance Awards (2020–2022) Outstanding Contribution to Finance — SME News Finance Awards (2020–2022) 🔎 A Note on Transparency Some industry awards, particularly from publishers such as AI Global Media and EMG Publishing, can be considered “vanity awards”. These often involve: Unclear judging processes Marketing-led motives Paid promotional packages for recipients At the Academy of Life Planning, we believe in being transparent. While we are grateful for recognition, our true measure of success is not trophies — it is the trust of our members, the empowerment of our clients, and the growth of a global community committed to structural change.